Exercising device



April 1935. H. L.-J. GARDENE'R ET AL 1,997,139

EXERCISING DEVICE Filed Jan. 30, 1934 MNR (5 OEE U n 11 E Wm. ,0 J5 M L Y Ew Wu H Patented Apr. 9, 1935 I vax nwrsmo DEVICE fiarry Lawr enceJuhnke GardenenLos Angeles,

' Calif., and Louis E. Meyers, New Orleans, La.; said Meyers assignor to said Gardener Application January 30, 1934, Serial Nohoaom" 6 Claims. (01. 272-57) Our invention relates to exercising devices',iand same has for one of its objects the provision of a novel formof device adapted to be strapped to the feet of the user and effectively employed so that by easily controlled movements of the body of the user, the entire muscular system of the body may be systematicallydeveloped and the body made to take on a decidedlyimproved physical condition. I 7

Another object is to provide a device, the use of which will materially strengthen the arches,

0f the feet and, at the sametime, the muscles of the legs andarms. t i

A still further object is to provide mobile means adapted to be attached to the feet and moved over a flat surface such as a floor, and whose movements can be accurately controlled in a way and at the will of the user whereby a very gradual development/of thebody muscles is made possible and the muscles tensioned and strengthcried and conditioned so that they will afford a T proper support for the vital organs of thebody.

With the above; and other objects in view, which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the sameconsists-inthe improved construction and novel arrangements of parts which will hereinafter be fully described and particularly pointed out in the hereto appended claims. r

In the accompanying drawing has been illustrated a single preferred'form of the invention, it being,' however, understood that no limitations are necessarily made to theprecise structural features therein exhibited, butthat changes, al-

terations and modifications'within' the scope of the claims maybe resorted to whendesired.

In the drawing, V Figure 1 isa perspectiveyiew of the device; Figure 2 represents -a seriesof diagrammatic illustrations indicating how the device 'may be operated for the purpose intended; r

Figure 3 is a section on line 3- 3 of Figure 1. In Figure 1 we show the complete device ready to be strapped or securely clamped to the feet of the user. It comprises substantially parallel,

spaced-apart, companion foot plates 5-5 which very much simulate portions of the soles of the right and left shoes. These plates are preferably formed of sheet metal of suitable gauge to give the necessary body stiffness and strength thereto. Their front ends are curved upwardly and rearwardly to form toe holds 6, and their rear ends are curved downwardly, then forward-' ly and upwardly to provide transverse smooth surfaced loops 1, the loop I of one plate being in approximate alinement with the likeloop of the mating plate; These loops occupypositions that enable them to fall substantiallyin line vertically with the. arches of the feet, and they are intended to engage against or come close to the ENT'Y OFF forward faces of the heels of: the shoes. when the feet have been properly arranged on the body portions of the plates as proposed. This also; allows the cap ends of ones shoes to be correctly associated with the aforementioned toe holds 6; The feet may'then be firmly fixed to the plates by means of thelclamping straps 8,L'the:latter being threaded through the slots 9 of the plates at pointsjustin advance ofthe loops 1 sothat their free ends may be buckled together and the straps firmly tightened against the foot. 1

The mating Wright and left plates of the de: vice are providedwith metallic'bearing straps ID and same are alined with each other for the close frictional accommodation of a transverse axle l l upon the. ends of which are mounted the freely revoluble supporting wheels 12. These wheels, in practice, may be of any'suitable size; say,

about'four inches in diameter, and their periph 4 eral .faces may-be provided with elastictires in orderthattheir movement over a floor may be more or less'noiseless and at the same time avoid the marring of the floor. The'manner of mount-r ing theplates upon the axle :l I 'is such that they are free to tilt and thus adapt themselves ,to

device is moved over'the surface, of the'floor.

'Upon observing the several schematic illustrafollows that by 'merely manipulating the arms and legs the posture of the body may be periodi-. cally changed at onefs desire, depending upon which muscles it is desired to develop. The position of the body may be changed almost from one extreme to another within a-possible range of movements, and numerous'intermediate' positionsmay be had quickly and conveniently at the option of the user, so that practically all of the'body muscles at one time or another willbe brought effectively into play and strengthened V and perfectly developed. In addition to the development of the muscles of the body, the fact sovarious angular movements.v of the feet whenthe' that the arches of .the feet may be very readily" manipulated and flexures of each foot brought about in a manner that will result in a very material strengthening of the arches. It is for this reason primarily that the plates terminate short of the heels of 1 the shoes, thus enabling the balls of the feet to be firmly brought against. said plates. 7 o.

When the device is used with a reasonable measure of good judgment, all musclesbf the body may be gradually tensioned and strength-" ened, and instead of such use resultinginfatigue,

ones system will be highly benefited and invigoratedand the blood placed in free circulation.

Upon reference toFigure 2 of the drawing, it

will be appreciated thatwhen the body of the userhas beenmade to assume one possible position therein illustrated; a reverse manipulation of the vertebrae may be accomplished, atwhich time the abdominal muscles will be effectively tensioned;

While we have described that the device may' be used with best results when the hands, palms down, are firmly placed against the floor, it isto be understood that so longv as the feet of the person are on the floor, as intended, the hands may be allowed to grasp. any relatively fixed object, such as a chair, with the position of the head such as to dispose the chin above the seat there-' of. The various body movements can be then brought about in a very desirable manner. 7

- With the axle of the device disposed trans-v versely of the feet, as proposed; the ground wheels may be readily moved in a. linear direction and, respectively, toward and away from the handsas rapidly as may suit the desires of the user.

It is'to be borne in mind that whenusing the V device'the feet of the user are brought close together, so that the legs almost touch each other. The foot plates-are then adjusted longitudinally of-the axle of the device until theyare in the de-' sired relationship to each othenflwhere they will accommodate the v feet when the latter are brought cl'ose togethenas above stated. 7

What is 'claimedis:

r '1. An exercisingdevice comprising a'wheeled axle,'a pair of foot plates. supportedby the axle in side by side relationshipto eachiother, and

means for 'securing'saidplatesito the feet of a person in a manner to dispose the,- wheels of the axis in positionsfor rolling engagement witha.

supporting surface whenthe body of the person is .porting surface.

in a position with the abdomen facing the sup porting surface.

-2. An exercising device comprising a wheeled axle, foot engaging means mounted for tilting movement upon the axle, and means for securing said foot engaging means to both feet of a person in a manner to dispose the wheels of the axle in position for rolling. engagement with a supporting surface when the body of the person occupies a position with the abdomen facing said sup- 3. An exercising device comprising foot engagby-side relationship to each other, mobile means 7 on which the foot engaging means are mounted, and meansfor attaching the foot engaging means to the feet ore person in a manner to dispose the 'mobile means in a position for running engagement witha supporting surface when the body of the person occupies a position with the abdomen facing said supporting surface. I

4. An exercising device comprising an axle; supporting wheels therefor; a foot support mounted on and frictionally engaging the axle between the Wheels thereof so as to independently fulcrum about the axle; and means for securing the foot support to the feet of a person in a manner to dispose the axesiof the wheels wholly at the toe ends of the feet and in positions 5 for free movement over a flat supporting surface when the body of the person assumes a position with the abdomen facing said supporting surface.

foot plates, said'plates being disposedin relative the same horizontal plane; means for securing the plates to the feet of a person with the ball portions of the feet in flat contact therewith, and mobile means constitutmg a mounting for the plates and adapted for free movement over a flat supporting surface when the body occupies a position with the abdomen facing said supporting surface.; r

6. Anexercising device comprising agpair of foot plates disposed in relative parallelism to each other; the 1 plates each being of a length shorter than that of the foot with which it is adapted to be secured, so that the heel of the foot project rearwardly of the plate; means for attaching the respective plates to the feet; and mobile means upon which the ;plates are mounted and disposed so that when the plates occupy a substantiallyinverted position, said mobile 'means may be freely moved over asupporting surface, as 'andfor the purpose set forth.

r HARRY L. J. GARDENERL 5. An exercising device comprising a pair of 

